Old/New Testament
Bildad Speaks: Man Cannot Be Righteous
25 Then (A)Bildad the Shuhite answered and said:
2 “Dominion and fear are with God;[a]
he makes peace in his high heaven.
3 Is there any number to his (B)armies?
Upon whom does his (C)light not arise?
4 How then can man be (D)in the right before God?
How can he who is (E)born of woman be (F)pure?
5 Behold, even the moon is not bright,
and the stars are not pure in his eyes;
6 (G)how much less man, who is (H)a maggot,
and (I)the son of man, who is a worm!”
Job Replies: God's Majesty Is Unsearchable
26 Then Job answered and said:
2 “How you have (J)helped him who has no power!
How you have saved (K)the arm that has no strength!
3 How you have (L)counseled him who has no wisdom,
and plentifully declared sound knowledge!
4 With whose help have you uttered words,
and whose breath (M)has come out from you?
5 The (N)dead tremble
under the waters and their inhabitants.
6 Sheol is (O)naked before God,[b]
and (P)Abaddon has no covering.
7 He (Q)stretches out the north over (R)the void
and hangs the earth on nothing.
8 He (S)binds up the waters in his thick clouds,
and the cloud is not split open under them.
9 He covers the face of the full moon[c]
and (T)spreads over it his cloud.
10 He has inscribed (U)a circle on the face of the waters
at the boundary between light and darkness.
11 (V)The pillars of heaven tremble
and are astounded at his (W)rebuke.
12 By his power he (X)stilled the sea;
by his understanding he shattered (Y)Rahab.
13 (Z)By his wind the heavens were made fair;
his hand pierced (AA)the fleeing serpent.
14 Behold, these are but the outskirts of his (AB)ways,
and how small (AC)a whisper do we hear of him!
But the thunder of his power who can understand?”
Job Continues: I Will Maintain My Integrity
27 And Job again (AD)took up his discourse, and said:
2 “As God lives, who has (AE)taken away my right,
and the Almighty, who has (AF)made my soul bitter,
3 as long as my breath is in me,
and (AG)the spirit of God is in my nostrils,
4 my lips will not speak (AH)falsehood,
and my tongue will not utter (AI)deceit.
5 Far be it from me to say that you are right;
till I die I will not put away my (AJ)integrity from me.
6 I (AK)hold fast my righteousness and will not let it go;
my heart does not (AL)reproach me for any of my days.
7 “Let my enemy be as the wicked,
and let him who rises up against me be as the unrighteous.
8 (AM)For what is the hope of the godless (AN)when God cuts him off,
when God takes away his life?
9 (AO)Will God hear his cry
when distress comes upon him?
10 Will he (AP)take delight in the Almighty?
Will he call upon God at all times?
11 I will teach you concerning the hand of God;
(AQ)what is with the Almighty I will not conceal.
12 Behold, all of you have seen it yourselves;
why then have you become altogether vain?
13 (AR)“This is the portion of a wicked man with God,
and the heritage that (AS)oppressors receive from the Almighty:
14 If his (AT)children are multiplied, it is for (AU)the sword,
and his descendants have not enough bread.
15 Those who survive him the pestilence buries,
and his (AV)widows do not weep.
16 Though he (AW)heap up silver like dust,
and pile up clothing like clay,
17 he may pile it up, but the righteous will wear it,
and (AX)the innocent will divide the silver.
18 He builds his (AY)house like a moth's,
like (AZ)a booth that (BA)a watchman makes.
19 He goes to bed rich, but will (BB)do so no more;
he opens his eyes, and (BC)his wealth is gone.
20 (BD)Terrors overtake him like (BE)a flood;
in the night a whirlwind (BF)carries him off.
21 (BG)The east wind lifts him up and he is gone;
it (BH)sweeps him out of his place.
22 It[d] hurls at him (BI)without pity;
he flees from its[e] power in headlong flight.
23 It (BJ)claps its hands at him
and (BK)hisses at him from its place.
James Killed and Peter Imprisoned
12 About that time Herod the king laid violent hands on some who belonged to the church. 2 He killed (A)James the brother of John (B)with the sword, 3 and when he saw (C)that it pleased the Jews, he proceeded to arrest Peter also. This was during (D)the days of Unleavened Bread. 4 And when he had seized him, he put him (E)in prison, delivering him over to four (F)squads of soldiers to guard him, intending after the Passover to bring him out to the people. 5 So Peter was kept in prison, but earnest (G)prayer for him was made to God by the church.
Peter Is Rescued
6 Now when Herod was about to bring him out, on that very night, Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, (H)bound with two chains, and sentries before the door were guarding the prison. 7 And behold, (I)an angel of the Lord (J)stood next to him, and a light shone in the cell. (K)He struck Peter on the side and woke him, saying, “Get up quickly.” And (L)the chains fell off his hands. 8 And the angel said to him, “Dress yourself and (M)put on your sandals.” And he did so. And he said to him, “Wrap your cloak around you and follow me.” 9 And he went out and followed him. He did not know that what was being done by the angel was real, but (N)thought he was seeing a vision. 10 When they had passed the first and the second guard, they came to the iron gate leading into the city. (O)It opened for them of its own accord, and they went out and went along one street, and immediately the angel left him. 11 When Peter (P)came to himself, he said, “Now I am sure that (Q)the Lord has sent his angel and (R)rescued me from the hand of Herod and from all that the Jewish people were expecting.”
12 When he realized this, he went to the house of Mary, the mother of (S)John whose other name was Mark, where many were gathered together and (T)were praying. 13 And when he knocked at the door of the gateway, (U)a servant girl named Rhoda came to answer. 14 Recognizing Peter's voice, (V)in her joy she did not open the gate but ran in and reported that Peter was standing at the gate. 15 They said to her, “You are out of your mind.” But she kept insisting that it was so, and they kept saying, “It is (W)his angel!” 16 But Peter continued knocking, and when they opened, they saw him and were amazed. 17 But (X)motioning to them with his hand to be silent, he described to them how the Lord had brought him out of the prison. And he said, “Tell these things to (Y)James and to (Z)the brothers.”[a] Then he departed and went to another place.
18 Now when day came, there was no little disturbance among the soldiers over what had become of Peter. 19 And after Herod searched for him and did not find him, he examined the sentries and (AA)ordered that they should be put to death. Then he went down from Judea to Caesarea and spent time there.
The Death of Herod
20 Now Herod was angry with the people of Tyre and Sidon, and they came to him with one accord, and (AB)having persuaded Blastus, the king's chamberlain,[b] they asked for peace, because (AC)their country depended on the king's country for food. 21 On an appointed day Herod put on his royal robes, took his seat upon the throne, and delivered an oration to them. 22 And the people were shouting, “The voice of a god, and not of a man!” 23 Immediately (AD)an angel of the Lord struck him down, because (AE)he did not give God the glory, and he was eaten by worms and breathed his last.
24 But (AF)the word of God increased and multiplied.
25 (AG)And Barnabas and Saul returned from[c] Jerusalem when they had completed their service, bringing with them (AH)John, whose other name was Mark.
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.